Poems (Mary Coleridge)/Poem 65

LXV WILDERSPIN
In the little red house by the river,When the short night fell,Beside his web sat the weaver,Weaving a twisted spell.Mary and the Saints deliverMy soul from the nethermost Hell!
In the little red house by the rushesIt grew not dark at all,For day dawned over the bushesBefore the night could fall.Where now a torrent rushes,The brook ran thin and small.
In the little red house a chamberWas set with jewels fair;There did a vine clamberAlong the clambering stair,And grapes that shone like amberHung at the windows there.
Will the loom not cease whirring?Will the house never be still?Is never a horseman stirringOut and about on the hill?Was it the cat purring?Did some one knock at the sill?
To the little red house a riderWas bound to come that night.A cup of sheeny ciderStood ready for his delight.And like a great black spider,The weaver watched on the right.
To the little red house by the riverI came when the short night fell.I broke the web for ever,I broke my heart as well.Michael and the Saints deliverMy soul from the nethermost Hell!